Penny is a small spot print on cotton, round motifs set in even rows and drawn with a soft, uneven edge so the ground shows through. It is about as quiet as a pattern can be while still being a pattern. In a small room it does the work of a plain, but with enough movement to keep a flat wall of curtain from looking dead against the paint. The spots are set close enough to give the cloth an even tone without turning into a texture print.
One hundred per cent cotton, 137 centimetres wide, with a repeat of 11 centimetres vertically and 14 centimetres horizontally, the smallest in this group, which keeps cutting simple. It is listed for curtains, loose and fixed upholstery and bedspreads. Five colourways: Blue, Aqua, Blush, Ochre and Aqua/Pink. Blush and Aqua/Pink are the gentlest, Ochre is warm, and Blue is the one we use most as a background cloth in a bedroom.
We use it for curtains and blinds in bedrooms and bathrooms, for lampshades, and on the leading edge of a curtain where a small print lifts a plain. It upholsters a bedroom chair or a stool cleanly. Pair it with a larger floral and a woven stripe. It also suits a bed valance and a small roman blind. Sold by the half metre; order a sample to see it in your own light.
The repeat is small enough that one extra repeat per drop covers the matching. Do still match the rows at the seams, as evenly spaced spots make an error visible. On a lampshade, work the circumference out against the 14 centimetre horizontal repeat so the spots meet cleanly at the join rather than half a motif out.
